This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Photoshop layer comps
In the previous exercises you learned that layer overrides are nothing more than showing or hiding Photoshop layers from InDesign. And while this does create opportunities, we are often hungry for more control and creativity. And that is exactly where Photoshop layer comps come in.
What is the purpose of a layer comp?
Layer comps (short for “compositions”) allow you to build preset combinations of Photoshop layers that go beyond basic layer visibility. You can use layer comps when placing Photoshop documents in InDesign or Illustrator or when nesting other Photoshop documents.
Layer comps are an ideal solution when:
You want to save a layer in different positions on the canvas—for example, a version in which a layer is positioned in the upper-left corner and another version in which that layer is in the lower-right corner—without having to duplicate the layer.
You want to experiment using different layer styles to create various effects.
You want to avoid confusion and errors when you need to manage the visibility of many layers at the same time for various versions of the image.
You want to switch to a different nested Smart Object when using nested Photoshop documents.